Music History 1: Unit 1 Flashcards
A metrical unit containing a fixed number of beats; separated on the staff by bar lines.
measure
a fixed pattern of strong and weak beats.
meter
time signatures in which each beat contains two subdivisions.
simple time
time signatures in which each beat contains three (rather than two) subdivisons.
compound time
a deliberate shifting of the musical accent to a weak beat.
syncopation
an upbeat, or the last beat of a measure anticipating the downbeat.
anacrusis
the highness or lowness of a particular sound.
pitch
the distance between the highest and lowest notes of a melody.
range
the distance between any two pitches.
interval
melodies that contain many leaps and changes of direction.
disjunct
melodies that move mostly in a stepwise direction.
conjunct
a series of consecutive pitches that forma musical unit, much like a sentence.
phrase
a short melodic or rhythmic fragment used to build a melody.
motive
a combination of three or more pitches that create a unit of harmony.
chord
a three-note chord that consists of a root, third and fifth
triad
melodies/harmonies built from the notes of a major or minor scale.
diatonic
melodies/harmonies that include all the notes available within the octave; from the Greek word for “color”.
chromatic
an agreeable combination of tones that provides a sense of relaxation and stability.
consonance
a combination of tones that sounds discordant, thus crating restlessness and a sense of instability.
dissonance
the rate (frequency) of chord changes per measure.
harmonic rhythm
a specific combination of two chords that provide moments of rest at the ends of phrases, much like punctuation.
cadence
combination of two or more melodic lines.
*counterpoint
single line of unaccompanied melody.
*monophonic texture
single line of melody supported by a harmonic accompaniment.
*homophonic texture
combination of two or more melodic lines, also referred to as counterpoint.
*polyphonic texture
- the level of volume in music
- traditionally indicated with Italian terms or symbols
dynamics
- tone-color
- the quality of sound specific to a voice or instrument for example, the silvery sound of a celesta, the nasal tone of an oboe.
timbre
- the speed at which music is performed
- traditionally indicated with Italian terms
tempo
- the classification of a composition type
- includes categories such as sonata, symphony, and opera
genre
- Latin for “work”
- usually abbreviated op.
- indicates the order in which a composer’s works were published
opus
High female voice in a choir
soprano
low female voice in a choir
alto
high male voice in a choir
tenor
low male voice in a choir
bass
a male voice with a range that straddles the tenor and bass ranges.
baritone
a female voice with a range that straddles the soprano and alto ranges
mezzo-soprano
a high female voice trained to execute rapid passages demanding great agility.
coloratura soprano
- a keyboard instrument dating back to the Middle Ages
- often associated with church music
- sound is generated by air passing through pipes or reeds
organ
- a keyboard instrument popular from the late 16th through 18th centuries.
- sound is generated by small quills inside the instrument that pluck the strings.
harpsichord
- a small keyboard instrument popular from the late 16th through 18th centuries.
- sound is generated by small metal tangents that strike the strings inside the instrument.
clavichord
- a keyboard instrument invented in the early 18th century. Sound is generated by hammers inside the instrument that strike the strings.
- invented by an inventor named Christofori
piano
- a device (usually with a keyboard) that generates and modifies sounds electronically.
- Robert Moog popularized the synthesizer int he 1960’s.
synthesizer
Name some examples of single reed woodwind instruments
Modern: clarinet & saxophone
Historical: Hornpipe
Traditional: Double clarinet (Middle Eastern)
Name some double reed instruments
oboe, bassoon
Name some pitched percussion instruments
xylophone, glockenspiel, timpani, celesta
Name some unpitched percussion instruments
bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, castanets, triangle, tambourines
Name the instruments of a string quartet
Violin 1
Violin 2
Viola
Cello
What are the instruments in a piano trio?
Violin
piano
cello
What instruments are in a woodwind quintet
flute
oboe
clarinet
bassoon
French horn (exception: includes one brass instrument)
What instruments are in a brass quintet?
`Trumpet 1
Trumpet 2
French horn
Trombone
Tuba
Who is the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra written by?
Benjamin Britten
In the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, how many times is the principal them stated?
six times
Name the orchestral families that are stated in the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Include the full orchestra as well.
full orchestra
woodwinds
brass
strings
percussion
full orchestra
Name the solo instruments featured in the 13 variations of the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
- flutes, piccolos
- oboes
- clarinets
- bassoons
- violins
- violas
- cellos
- double basses
- harp
- French horns
- trumpets
12 trombones, tubas
- timpini, bass drum, cymbals, snare drums, woodblock, gong etc.
Where does the theme in the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra come from?
It comes from a dance tune by English Baroque composer Henry Purcell
Name some famous concert pianists?
Sviatoslav Richter, Alfred Brendel, Vladimer Horowitz, Arthur Rubenstein, Andras Schiff, Angela Hewitt,
Lang Lang etc.
